The described invention relates in general to an obstacle detection system for use with vehicles, and more specifically to an overhead obstacle detection and avoidance system that includes an ultrasonic sensor and processing unit for determining the height of an overhead obstacle and comparing that height to the maximum height of a vehicle.
Large trucks and tractor-trailer units are commonplace in modern society and are used on a daily basis for transporting a multitude of items from one place to another. The highway system in the United States as well as in most other countries includes numerous bridges and overpasses that may create difficulties for the operators of trucks and tractor-trailer units due to the fact that the height of some vehicles exceeds the clearance required to safely travel under these obstacles. If a truck or tractor-trailer unit exceeds the required clearance of a bridge or overpass, and the operator of the vehicle is not able to make that determination prior to encountering the obstacle, a collision will occur. These collisions often result in extensive damage to both the vehicle and the section of the roadway involved. The operator of the vehicle, the operators of other vehicles on the affected section of road, and even pedestrians crossing a bridge or overpass may also be injured or even killed.
Despite the problems described above, few systems for allowing vehicles such as trucks or tractor-trailer units to avoid collision with overhead obstacles are commercially available. Many previously developed systems are either prohibitively expensive to install, are prohibitively difficult to use, or are only somewhat effective for their intended purpose. Thus, there is an ongoing need for a reliable, relatively inexpensive and easy to install detection system for allowing large (i.e., tall) vehicles to avoid costly and dangerous collisions with overhead obstacles such as bridges and overpasses.